Jann Krynauw and Ronan Skillen are the duo behind the South African Music Awards (SAMA) winning band, Tonik, whose silent gigs have quietly rippled the
Finding Out About Tonik
I had never heard of the duo named Tonik until I wrote on my Facebook page a few weeks ago that I loved the synchronicity of music matching my mood. A friend posted a comment and told me that she had been to a silent concert at The Bioscope in
She spoke enthusiastically about the duo whose unique element was to give everyone in the audience wireless headphones with which they could listen to the music. Intrigued, I logged onto their website and listened to samples of their music, which incidentally are all instrumental – a happy fusion of piano,
Meeting Band Member Jann Krynauw
I trawled their website looking at photographs and reading up on Tonik, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to talk to them. So there I was on a Thursday afternoon, meeting with Jann Krynauw, who surprised me by coming to the interview dressed rather conservatively for a musician.
We shook hands and as though reading my mind, he explained that he worked as an actuary at a leading financial services company.
How Tonik Began
The story of Tonik began many years ago in
Jann started lessons and, in time, he bought one, which Ronan offered to drop off at his home in the city centre. Seeing a piano in Jann’s apartment, the pair started having jamming sessions where they experimented and played with music. It was the start of a long-lasting friendship and working relationship.
Introducing Visitor’s Book: Tonik’s Debut Album
While they didn’t think too much about recording an album, they certainly built up lots of ideas over the years, which they finally realised had to be put to use in some way.
‘We decided that we had to document where we were then, which turned out to mean we had to record an album and thus Visitor’s Book was born.’
Visitor’s Book is a hauntingly beautiful album that effectively tells the story of how the dreams of two men are made real. It is this beautiful and thorough reflection of Jann and Ronan’s apparent passion that won the album a SAMA in 2008 for best instrumental album.
Jann Krynauw and Ronan Skillen’s Friendship
Listening to She Couldn’t Sleep, I am transported, it seems, to earth’s birth. It sounds esoteric, I know, but the clear layers of instruments playing separately then woven into each other speaks of nature’s own synchronicity.
The shimmery rattle of an instrument speaks to me of wind rustling the leaves of a tree, while the melodic 1-2 beat speaks to me of high ocean waves crashing. The fullness of the instruments clearly shows the melding of two spirits who know and trust each other implicitly.
It’s no coincidence when Jann speaks highly of Ronan, calling him a man who understands who he is and where he wants to go with the music. It’s a mutual feeling when you read the acknowledgement Ronan has written, saying to Jann, ‘I have huge admiration for your playing and musicianship.’
Finally Recording an Album
In The Chicken and the piano, a more upbeat track with astounding piano tones, the vision of the two booking a country house in Barrydale to record their first album becomes clear. The didgeridoo echoes in unison with the piano, telling of a determined friendship to do an album that they wanted and reflected who they were.
While none of the tracks have any hidden meaning, they do tell details of the lives of the two men. The Chicken and the piano is simply the detail of chickens running around in the open next to the piano as the duo rehearsed out in the open.
Telling the story of the album’s birth, Jann says, ‘We did everything ourselves. We were in no rush. In Barrydale we took out all the furniture and moved in the studio equipment and just worked.’
Finalising Visitor’s Book
Dave Langeman, who has won a SAMA for producing Freshlyground, engineered the recording and also helped with some of the recording equipment.
As if continuing the story, First Sign talks of how the duo through a friend of a friend had their album mastered at
This leads onto Hello, a fun-filled track with elements of funk and jazz, with a voice continuously echoing in the background speaking the words ‘Hello’. With 2 000 copies of the album printed, Tonik was finally ready to greet the world. They wanted to share with people their love for music, but they had an idea that what was on the album was exactly what you heard when you listened to them live in concert. Holding nothing back, they took their entire budget and used it on the pilot launch.
Getting the Music Out to the People
Visitor’s Book, a song with classical overtures interspersed with warm drum beats, is demonstrative of emotion dancing around you like hail stones under a contrasting blue sky, uses piano fluidity and a deeper bass beat.
At the pilot launch they attempted to put out the same acoustic sound so eloquently present on the CD, but ‘it just wasn’t working’. One of the reasons being that the tabla, an Indian instrument that Ronan plays, is a delicate percussion instrument ‘that is a mission to get right live.’
As Jann tells it, any instrument is a challenge to use in live concerts, especially when you want to recreate the same mood without deviating from creativity. Considering the fact that Ronan went to
The Music has Layers to It
As I sit listening to the track, Jane’s Chocolate, through my headphones it hits me that every sound is clear, whether it lasts for a few seconds or spreads over minutes.
From a high pitched clang, through to the deeper, darker sounds, it feels as though the music is dancing in my head. I understand now why Jann and Ronan decided to work with headphones. One sound plays in my left ear, travelling, or so it seems, through the matter of my flesh to the right ear.
I admire the primal sound of the didgeridoo in Rootless Grass, opening for an eclectic dance beat then moving back to the quiet lull where the piano’s gentleness takes over. It is like the moment of experimentation that Tonik went through as they tried to find the right headphones for their audience with which to perform their silent gigs.
The Silent Gig
Initially working with wired headphones, they quickly realised they were difficult to set up and did not provide a long-term solution. However, they worked well enough when the band played in strange venues, such as a boxing ring, a nature reserve and a 1920s motorcycle sidecar venue. In August this year, Tonik started using wireless headphones, which are working impressively for their audience and the band.
Venues are a big part of the experience of Tonik’s performances as each place lends itself to the group’s creativity. It’s true that they have been asked to play repeatedly at some venues, to which they will happily oblige, but they prefer playing in places that allow them to work outside their comfort zone. In fact, Jann says each venue has a certain vibe to it, which allows them to create random impromptu tracks suited for that venue.
@ Work is a perfect example of the composition of Tonik’s music, where music and songs are created in layers. First its distant voices, bird cries and soon a piano comes in, then a drum and it goes on until the sound gives birth to a moving entity.
Tonik Credits Patience for Their Success
The group work hard when making their music, but it is work they love. As an actuary, Jann is not dependent on Tonik’s commercial success to help him financially; nor is Ronan, who, although a fulltime musician, has another band, Babu, in which he plays. There is a feeling almost that patience is what has made this album the work of genius it is.
The band is in charge of every detail of their work, ensuring that everything is internally funded. The album was released in 2008 and there is no hurry to release a second despite the fact that they are continuously working on new material. Like a fine wine, given time to mature, Tonik’s objective is to create something that is both beautiful and rich.
‘The big focus is not to think about money, but Ronan is doing it fulltime and I have to respect that. But we’ve also come to a decision that we are not going to do our music for free either.’
Jann and Ronan and Tonik
The final product that we hear comes through patience and inspiration found in different places where they perform. Despite the fact that Ronan is based in
Jann speaks effusively of Ronan, stating, ‘we get along so well. We’ve never had a fight. It just works.’
The mutual respect is evident in the music they create. However, Tonik is open to collaborating with other artists as was the case when they included a saxophonist for a couple of months. In addition, they incorporate visual art into their work, adding to the diversity of the music they create, which cannot be categorised or subdued.
Tonik’s Music Transcends All Barriers
That one of their oldest audience member was 86 and the youngest seven years old, reiterates the title of the African jazz feel of As Far Away As Possible. Tonik is not bound by laws, each carefully enunciated note transcending physical understanding.
It truly is an album worth having, especially if you want to move from one place to the next, even if it is only in your mind. To find out more on where the group will be performing, please visit their website and look out for their new album coming out next year. We are giving one copy of their album, Visitor’s Book, to a lucky reader. If you are interested, please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the word ‘Tonik’ as the subject.
